Mock Trial Reflection

1. Summarize the facts of the case, as presented by the prosecution. Include relevant witnesses and testimony.

The prosecutions (the peoples) main point related to the constitution, and how this law violates it and how this law relates to immigration which is a federal issue. A main point that was repeated throughout the trial was a story about a McDonalds raid where a woman told officers she was a citizen but she was taken to jail anyway. Their witnesses were James Madison, John Adams and Raul Grijalva.

2. Summarize the facts of the case, as presented by the defense. Include relevant witnesses and testimony.

The facts presented by my side, the state of Arizona, were directly from the bill and from statistics about the bills approval. Our main points had to do with the conditions of crossing the borders, protecting the citizens and that this bill was a state crime law, not a federal immigration law. The witnesses were Jan Brewer, Russell Pierce and Robert Watchorn.

3. What was the most significant piece of evidence, in your personal opinion?

I thought that the story about the McDonalds raid was a strong piece of evidence on the prosecuting side, and on the defense the direct readings from the bill were powerful since it was straight from the measure.

4. What was the most significant argument made, in your opinion?

I thought that the defenses argument about this being a crime law was, if nothing else a really good attempt and it was a fairly strong argument to consider. On the flip side, I thought that the prosecutions argument about it being a federal and international issue was also valid and significant. The argument about racial profiling was also very significant, because at one point on the stand they caught me because it is pretty hard to think of other ways to profile someone besides based on their skin color, even if the bill says they will not be judged based on that.

5. What do you personally believe the correct verdict should be? Do you agree with the jury? Why or why not?

I personally believe the right verdict was made by the jury. Although I was disappointed since I represented the defense, I can see why they would come to that verdict, and I would personally agree with it. I dont think it was right for the state to pass this bill, it dabbles in both federal immigration laws and racial profiling and even discrimination. I can see where the state of Arizona was coming from since noting has been done nationally about this issue yet. We need some kind of solution, but I dont think that SB 1070 was the right way to handle it.'

Extra Assignment-Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut is often compared to Mark Twain because they both use humor to talk about the basic concepts and questions of human life and existence. They both also had a "profound pessimism" in their writings. Their satirical look at the world had a large impact on American literature, because they each had their own voice and wit that was different from the other work out there. Vonnegut agreed with some of the things Mark Twain said, and that shows that they had similar ideologies and opinions.

Im really interested to read Slaughterhouse 5 because Kurt Vonnegut does have such a different style of writing, and its not just heres the facts and it was terrible. He has a sarcastic and funny way of looking at the whole situation of the fire bombings and the basis of human life (from what I have read so far). I really like his references to the Tralfamadorians and I cant wait to see how they impact the rest of the book. He has a very real way of telling a story, while still keeping your attention and he also paints a very good image in your mind. I cant wait to keep reading this book!

Sources

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/books/12vonnegut.html

http://www.nndb.com/people/928/000022862/

http://www.vonnegutweb.com/vonnegutia/commencement/rice.html

World Wars!

1. The most interesting aspects of both of the World Wars is that so many different countries got involved for different reasons. I think its pretty cool that all of these different nations got involved in both World Wars. I dont know much about WWI but I think the fact that the US all came together and supported almost everything during the war is extremely intriguing, since that is such a difference to the war going on today.

2.I want to learn a lot more about World War 1. I dont really know anything about the first World War, or why it happened. It would also be interesting to learn about any connections between the two World War, whether it be who's on what side, conflict, support, etc.

3. These wars are important because they teach us about some of the things that end up turning into "war worthy" conflicts and who has whos back. It also shows a lot about how different countries are run, and the things that they support. Learning about the two World Wars is a good way to really get into what countries think about each other, and how each one of their governments differ. I think that as the years go on, it also gives us a look into who has the most advance weapons and other materials that could be harmful later on.

Zoom In and Zoom Out-Honors Grapes of Wrath Essay

In John Steinbeck's classic novel The Grapes of Wrath, the balance of broad stories about all of the dust bowl farmers, and the zoomed in stories about one family impacts the novel a lot. Almost every other chapter followed this zoomed in and zoomed out pattern, and it always gave a new perspective about what was going on, and sometimes even foreshadowed an event coming up. The balance between the two perspectives was evident throughout the book and impacted it in a positive way that gave the reader clarification, background information and a better understanding of what they were reading about.

One of the first zoomed out chapters is about a turtle and its journey crossing the road. "The turtle entered a dust road and jerked itself along, drawing a wavy shallow trench in the dust with its shell. The old humorous eyes looked ahead..." This zoomed out perspective foreshadowed the Joad family slowly moving along and moving west. The words like jerked itself along and humorous eyes looked ahead, gave a mental image and a great metaphor to a family moving west. A couple chapters later, the Joad family is on the move and they begin their slow journey west. The chapter helped keep the story moving, subconsciously prepared for what was going to happen next, and gave context and clear idea of what the Joad's journey would be like.

Before Casy and Tom even make it to the farm, there is a zoomed out chapter that fit perfectly into the story. Chapter five was all about the owners of the land, banks, tractors, and the "monster" they have created."You’re on land that isn’t yours. Once over the line maybe you can pick cotton in the fall. Maybe you can go on relief. Why don’t you go on west to California? There’s work there" For someone who doesn’t know that much about the dust bowl, this chapter gives you an idea about the situation so many people were in, and you eventually learn the Joads are in this place too. This chapter impacted the novel and gave the reader background information about what story they were really getting into. You see it from the families’ perspective, and it causes the reader to understand how the dust bowl farmers felt even before meeting the Joads. It made their situation more relatable and it showed how many people were in the same place.

Another zoomed out chapter that kept the book flowing and in perspective, was chapter 27."I aim to pick some cotton. Got a bag? Well, no, I ain't. Coast ya a dollar, the bag. Take it out o' your first hunderd and fifty" This chapter was all about cotton pickers, discrepancies in the industry, how the people worked and what cotton picking was like. In the next chapter the Joad family is working on a cotton farm, and instead of going through and reading about how they got their cotton bags, you already know how they got one and how their new job works. Steinbeck kept the dialogue vague and he mixed thoughts, conversations and descriptions together. This chapter impacted the novel through the way it was written, and because it gave the greater perspective, and it made me realize that everyone at that point was going through the same thing on the cotton farms. It also kept the book moving and mixed it up, so then once it went back to the Joad family, they were already settled in and working.

Without the zoomed in, zoomed out chapters, the book would not have given the reader the same understanding they got from the balance of the two. The metaphors, foreshadowing, generalized thoughts and perspectives had an impact on the balance of the story with the Joads. The way Steinbeck wrote the book caused you to read more mindfully, look deeper into the story and the history behind it. This wasn’t just a novel about a family going through The Great Depression, it was about all of the people going through the same thing, and the way farmers treated the migrants. The whole novel was impacted in a positive way that made you become a more involved and thoughtful reader.

Public Works Projects

Public works projects were programs that FDR created during his time in office. They were to help create jobs and help the American people in the Great Depression.
Some public works projects included:

-NLRB (National Labor Relations Board)

-TVA (Tennesse Valley Authority)

-Social Security

-Federal money was put into the arts to pay artists and expose the people to music and art.

For our society today, I would recommend social security, even though we already have it, it needs some kind of reform because all of the money is being drained out of it.

I also think that we need more money put into the arts and it would have a positive impact on the country.

We also need more programs like the TVA. Even though we have programs like it going on right now, I think we could use the money to work more on fixing pot holes, and research in medicine and on renewable energy. The programs we need to have should create jobs but also move our country forward.

Another place that needs money in our society is in our education system. Teachers that our educating the next generation shouldnt be laid off or get wage cuts. Our country isnt leading in education anymore, we are actually 16th in the world and that needs to change if we want our society to move forward.

A Bag Of Frogs (Honors Cannery Row Writing)

Cannery Row is a classic novel that tells the story of different people living on the row. One symbol that really defined an idea and had a lot of literal meaning was the bag of frogs Mack and the boys gave to Doc. The frogs tapped into the characters of Mack and his crew of boys, Doc and Lee Chong. Through the characters interactions with the bag of frogs, more of their personalities are revealed, and it keys into some of the underlying themes of the novel.

Mack and the boys wanted to throw a party for Doc, since he was such a good man to everyone. In the novel, they go to Doc and ask if they can go get frogs for him. For them, going to the frogs meant money, and also doing two good things for Doc; throwing him a party and getting him the frogs he needed. For Doc, although he thought the frog situation was sketchy; having the boys get the frogs was a convenience for him and an act of kindness. Lee Chong didn't have any interest in the plan to get the frogs, but he did supply the truck the boys went to get them in.

When Mack and the boys successfully return, they go to Lee Chong to bargain. At this point, Doc is still away, but Mack wants to get food and other supplies for the party. Since frogs were worth money, they work out a deal to treat frogs like money in the grocery store. "Frogs were cash as far as Doc was concerned, the price was standard and Lee had a double profit." For Lee Chong, this whole transaction was about making a profit, and a little bit about helping make the party for Doc happen.

The Boys had all good intentions in mind throughout the frog adventure, and they even take it one step further. Mack decides it would even be better if the frogs were right there in the doorway for Doc to see at the party. Mack said "Them frogs ought to be right here, right here in the middle of the room...." When Lee Chong agrees to this arrangement he went to the length of having Mack write out a paper "transferring the frogs to Lee in case there should be any question." That revealed how suspicious and how much of a cold businessman Lee Chong was, money was all that mattered.

The party ends up being wild and out of control, and Doc doesn't even make it home to be a part of it. By the early morning when the house is completely trashed, the frogs began to escape. "well before dawn they had all gone." Doc is enraged when he arrives home, but in the end it wasn’t a big deal and he moved on. His personality was clearly acknowledged as someone who doesn’t get hung up over the little things and it very forgiving and willing to let go.

The frogs were literally treated as money in the novel, and were a symbol too. Steinbeck took the irony of the frogs escaping and connected it to money. He expressed the concept of money being within our reach, sacrificing it to do something nice for someone and then having it be thrown away. This gives a better connection to how a particular character thinks of money. Doc shrugged off, showing that money wasn’t a big deal for him. Mack and the boys expressed a lot of sadness, and it wasn’t about the money, it was what they tried to do with it to make someone else happy. As for Lee Chong, the money was everything and almost the only thing that mattered. It all goes back to who you choose to be and the things that matter most to you in life.

The frogs helped the personalities of these characters shine through. From how they interacted and reacted to the frogs, and each other gave you a better look at who they truly were and their role in Cannery Row. Lee Chong was the profit obsessed grocer, Mack and the boys were the men with good intentions and Doc was the one who was forgiving and kept his cool. This point in the book gave a lot of insight and helped guide the readers perceptions of the characters for the rest of the book. All of the characters in the novel were working towards something, and this symbol was just one way to show how certain characters get there and what truly matters to them.

Sympathy For Dust Bowl Farmers?

I think that the Grapes of Wrath successfully establishes sympathy for the Dust Bowl farmers. Steinbeck tells a side of the story that wasnt really known. You get the story from a migrant families perspective, and although the Joads did pretty well, you read about the families who weren't so fortunate. Having policemen arrest you for being smart, burning down your home, being called names and getting paid near to nothing, it's degrading and it really makes you feel bad for the characters. Although they may have been ignorant to what was coming, its still a story that makes you feel bad because they still have so much hope. I can understand where the farmers perspective comes in, but that isn't the focus of this story, you never pity them while reading.